1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera photometric device and, more particularly, to a camera photometric device which segments a photographic scene into multiple areas in which to perform photometry.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, camera photometric devices included multi-pattern photometric units which divided or segmented a photographic scene into multiple areas in which to perform classification of a photographic subject. The multiple areas were derived by examining the maximum brightness levels and the brightness differences among sections of a photographic subject. The multiple areas were produced as a result of analysis of respective photometric outputs based on the aforementioned brightness levels which were selected from among several well-known methods, including an exposure value computation method which was appropriate for each pattern with respect to a photographic scene which corresponds to a respective pattern. The aforementioned outputs were then used to instruct camera circuitry to perform proper exposure control. For a discussion of exemplary brightness detecting photometric systems, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,099 to Terasita and U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,383 to Fukuhara et al.
It is important to note that prior photometric systems were designed so that in cases in which the maximum brightness of the photometric output was high and the differences in brightness levels were large, such photometric systems performed exposure control with an emphasis on low brightness conditions as if a photographic scene included the sun or sun light.
In terms of the problems associated with conventional photometric devices of the type described above, there are cases in which different exposures are required even in photographic scenes classified as the same pattern. For example, conventional photometric devices were often designed to recognize and detect a scene with a high maximum brightness and large differences in brightness levels (e.g., a case such as that of a person being rear-lit by the sun). In such situations, an exposure which emphasized low-brightness levels of a photographic subject was set, which resulted in a problem in that the portions on which the sun was shining were overexposed. Accordingly, the conventional classification methods described above resulted in scenes which could not be sufficiently classified and which ultimately resulted in poor picture quality.